This relates to graphics processing using a central processing unit in conjunction with a graphics processing unit.
A graphics system synthesizes an image from a description of a scene. Thus, graphics processing may be used in medical imaging, video games, and animations, to mention a few applications. The scene may contain geometric primitives, lights that illuminate the scene, material properties that describe the way an object reflects light, and a viewer's position or orientation. In some cases, graphics processing may be done by a general purpose processor and in other cases it may be done by a combination of a general purpose processor and a graphics processor.
Many issues arise in conjunction with the transfer of data between the central processing unit and the graphics processing unit. Generally, the two systems work in different architectures and, therefore, exchange of complex information between these systems may be slow.